The expression "simple as pie" may have many proper connotations when used with reference to the basic recipe for pie making. However, rolling out a uniformly thick, properly trimmed pie crust is no simple feat to the novice pie maker and even to a more experienced, but elderly or handicapped baker in the home.
A need for a simple device usable by anyone as a pie crust mold in a household environment, and even under circumstances where a high production rate of pie crusts is desired, such as in a bake shop, that could ensure the production of uniform sized, consistent thickness pie crust that has been properly trimmed has been recognized, and a multitude of prior art on this subject reflects this fact.
Contrary to the probable belief of those uninitiated in the delights of culinary skills, pie crust dough that has been properly prepared is relatively inelastic and not the simplest of materials to roll out to a uniformly thick sheet by hand without cracks or separations occurring, particularly at the edge areas. Frequent pushing together and patching is done to hold the crust together and make it integral, but then continued rolling out creates new defects that again must be repaired.
These problems are not of monumental proportions, of course, but constant repair and re-sizing of the crust as it is being rolled out can alter the texture of the dough adversely, and a poorly rolled out crust simply will not bake uniformly. A few years of practice and experience usually cures the problem, but there is much appeal in a simple pie crust mold device that could become a standard kitchen utensil that is easy to use and to clean, and capable of use even by a child. A foolproof pie crust mold has long been sought after in the prior art and various complex approaches to the design of a pie crust mold usable in the home are readily observable in the prior art on this subject.
The present invention, therefore, has developed from a recognition of the need for a simple, foolproof, pie crust mold that can be inexpensively produced for household use in particular, can be cleaned as easily as a dish or a cup, and which ensures the production of a perfect pie crust every time it is used, assuming that the dough has been otherwise properly prepared.